All Things LGBTQ+ (7 Viewers)

[Farb]

Didn't really see a place for this so I thought I would start a thread about all things LGBTQ since this is a pretty hot topic in our culture right now

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/sup...y-that-refuses-to-work-with-lgbt-couples.html

• The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a unanimous defeat to LGBT couples in a high-profile case over whether Philadelphia could refuse to contract with a Roman Catholic adoption agency that says its religious beliefs prevent it from working with same-sex foster parents.
• Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an opinion for a majority of the court that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment by refusing to contract with Catholic Social Services once it learned that the organization would not certify same-sex couples for adoption.

I will admit, I was hopeful for this decision by the SCOTUS but I was surprised by the unanimous decision.

While I don't think there is anything wrong, per se, with same sex couples adopting and raising children (I actually think it is a good thing as it not an abortion) but I also did not want to see the state force a religious institution to bend to a societal norm.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[Optimus Prime]

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor. The proposed law would also have an offender be placed on the sexual offender registry.

Social transitioning, as defined in House Bill 2885, is when an individual adopts a name, pronouns and gender expression -- such as clothing or a haircut -- that does not match their assigned sex at birth.

If a teacher or counselor "provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information or other resources," they could be convicted of a Class E felony conviction, facing up to four years in prison or a fine up to $10,000, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The bill is in the early stages of consideration and is subject to amendments if it progresses through the state Legislature.

The bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg, told local news outlet KY3 the bill would likely apply to the inclusion of any LGBTQ-related books or signs in classrooms........

Missouri bill would convict teachers of felony, put on sex offender list for trans support

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Hmmmm

wait, are yuo suggesting idiots like that to see reason? good like with that...

 

[MT15]

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor. The proposed law would also have an offender be placed on the sexual offender registry.

Social transitioning, as defined in House Bill 2885, is when an individual adopts a name, pronouns and gender expression -- such as clothing or a haircut -- that does not match their assigned sex at birth.

If a teacher or counselor "provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information or other resources," they could be convicted of a Class E felony conviction, facing up to four years in prison or a fine up to $10,000, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The bill is in the early stages of consideration and is subject to amendments if it progresses through the state Legislature.

The bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg, told local news outlet KY3 the bill would likely apply to the inclusion of any LGBTQ-related books or signs in classrooms........

Missouri bill would convict teachers of felony, put on sex offender list for trans support

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor.

abcnews.go.com

So, as one teacher from Missouri put it - once in her career a student asked her to use a different name to refer to them, and she did it. Now, if she agrees to call a student by their preferred name, she could be criminally prosecuted and have to register on the sex offender list. It’s crazy.

 

[Optimus Prime]

wow. we'll see how this ends up

"What about my freedom to discriminate against people I don't like?!" (which is what all the 'religious freedom' cases are always about)
==================================================================================

A Fairfax County Public Schools student is suing the school board, sayings its policy aimed at protecting the rights of transgender students violate the rights of others and violates the state constitution.

The lawsuit was filed by the conservative group America First Legal — founded by former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller — on behalf of an unnamed Fairfax high school senior. It alleges that the school district’s policy, which allows students to use facilities that match their gender identity and requires the use of a student’s chosen pronouns and name, are “fundamentally at odds with her religious beliefs” as a practicing Roman Catholic.

Fairfax County Public Schools spokeswoman Julie Allen said in a statement Wednesday that the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit and could not comment on the specific allegations. But she said the district’s policies are consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

“FCPS remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff,” Allen said. “Any student who has a need or desire for increased privacy in using a bathroom or locker room, regardless of the underlying reason, is provided with reasonable accommodations, including access to single user facilities.”

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal actions in recent years challenging the policies that Virginia schools have put in place addressing how to treat transgender and gender nonconforming students in school. It also is part of a wave of legislation in recent years targeting LGBTQ+ youth around the country.

In 2020, the Fairfax district adopted a policy that, among other things, establishes that students can use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Its student conduct handbook also says students could be disciplined for maliciously misgendering or deadnaming — calling someone by the name they no longer use — their peers.

The lawsuit filed this week in Fairfax Circuit Court states that, as a practicing Catholic, the student plaintiff does not believe that a person’s sex can be altered, and the district’s policy is unconstitutional because it forces her to either “violate her sincerely held religious beliefs” or risk getting disciplined for not using a transgender or nonbinary student’s name or pronoun. It further alleges the policy discriminates on the basis of religion by requiring the student to use her school’s single-use bathrooms to “be able to exercise her sincerely held religious beliefs.”.

“Fairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitution’s protections for religious beliefs, speech, and from government discrimination on the basis of sex and religious beliefs,” Ian Prior, a senior adviser with America First Legal, said in a statement. “It is well past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing the constitutional rights of its students so that it can implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, beliefs, and conduct.”.........

MSN

www.msn.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/07/fairfax-transgender-student-policy-lawsuit/

 

[Optimus Prime]

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor. The proposed law would also have an offender be placed on the sexual offender registry.

Social transitioning, as defined in House Bill 2885, is when an individual adopts a name, pronouns and gender expression -- such as clothing or a haircut -- that does not match their assigned sex at birth.

If a teacher or counselor "provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information or other resources," they could be convicted of a Class E felony conviction, facing up to four years in prison or a fine up to $10,000, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The bill is in the early stages of consideration and is subject to amendments if it progresses through the state Legislature.

The bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg, told local news outlet KY3 the bill would likely apply to the inclusion of any LGBTQ-related books or signs in classrooms........

Missouri bill would convict teachers of felony, put on sex offender list for trans support

A new Missouri bill would make it a felony offense for school teachers or counselors to support or contribute to the social transitioning of a transgender minor.

abcnews.go.com

Did you know that child marriage is still legal in much of the US? About 300,000 children and teenagers were legally married in the US between 2000 and 2018, according to the advocacy group Unchained at Last. At least 60,000 of those marriages “occurred at an age or with a spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime”.

Did you know that, until quite recently, Missouri was a “destination wedding spot” for children who wanted to tie the knot? The state has tightened its child marriage laws now – and is seeking to ban the practice – but not all lawmakers are happy about the changes. Missouri state senator Mike Moon said last year that he knows kids who have been married at age 12 (to another minor) and they’re “thriving”!

Did you know that many school districts in Missouri still authorize corporal punishment? If a kid acts up in class, a teacher can spank them. Don’t worry though, they’re not allowed to do anything horrible like punch them in the face. According to one school district, the only punishment allowed is “swatting the buttocks with a paddle”.


Did you know that Human Rights Watch gave Missouri an “F” grade last year for its compliance with international child rights standards?

I mention all these fun Missouri facts because I think they’re important to bear in mind as we look at the latest dystopian news coming out of the state. Which is this: state representative Jamie Gragg is so concerned about the welfare of kids in his district that he has come up with a novel new way to “protect” them. How? By introducing a new bill which would force teachers to register as sex offenders if they use a transgender child’s preferred pronouns or otherwise help them in their “social transition”.

The bill states that any teacher or school counsellor who provide support or “other resources to a child regarding social transition” could be found guilty of a class E felony and placed in the same sex offender registration category as someone possessing child sexual abuse images. They would not be able to work at a school again or be within 500ft of one.

One hallmark of a Republican-authored bill is ambiguity: key terms are defined extremely broadly (or not at all) so that it is unclear what is prohibited and what isn’t. This vagueness is a feature not a bug: the idea is that people will over-comply because they’re worried about getting in trouble. It also means that Republicans can say “We didn’t mean it like that” if people try to argue that the legislation is unconstitutional. It’s a deviously brilliant tactic.

This new anti-trans proposal is no exception to the GOP vagueness rule. “Social transition” is defined extremely broadly in the bill as: “The process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expression, such as clothing or haircuts, that match the individual’s gender identity and not the gender assumed by the individual’s sex at birth.”

So what does this mean? Well it means that if this bill becomes law a teacher in Missouri would potentially be able to spank a child on the buttocks without facing any consequences but would lose their job and have to register as a sex offender if they used that kid’s preferred pronouns while doing the spanking. Hell, this bill is so broad that simply complimenting a cis girl who just got a “boyish” haircut could get a teacher in serious trouble.…….

Missouri: home to child marriage, corporal punishment and sick ‘child welfare’ ideas | Arwa Mahdawi

Missouri lawmakers – great defenders of children! – want to force teachers to register as sex offenders if they use a trans child’s preferred pronouns

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

So, as one teacher from Missouri put it - once in her career a student asked her to use a different name to refer to them, and she did it. Now, if she agrees to call a student by their preferred name, she could be criminally prosecuted and have to register on the sex offender list. It’s crazy.

Where is the line?

If a Christine wants to be called Chris is that okay?

My school (hell, every school) had more than a few “tomboys” (is that still the right term?)

Is that okay? Or are we not long until some state says that “all girls must dress like girly girls”

 

[bird]

wow. we'll see how this ends up

"What about my freedom to discriminate against people I don't like?!" (which is what all the 'religious freedom' cases are always about)
==================================================================================

A Fairfax County Public Schools student is suing the school board, sayings its policy aimed at protecting the rights of transgender students violate the rights of others and violates the state constitution.

The lawsuit was filed by the conservative group America First Legal — founded by former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller — on behalf of an unnamed Fairfax high school senior. It alleges that the school district’s policy, which allows students to use facilities that match their gender identity and requires the use of a student’s chosen pronouns and name, are “fundamentally at odds with her religious beliefs” as a practicing Roman Catholic.

Fairfax County Public Schools spokeswoman Julie Allen said in a statement Wednesday that the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit and could not comment on the specific allegations. But she said the district’s policies are consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

“FCPS remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff,” Allen said. “Any student who has a need or desire for increased privacy in using a bathroom or locker room, regardless of the underlying reason, is provided with reasonable accommodations, including access to single user facilities.”

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal actions in recent years challenging the policies that Virginia schools have put in place addressing how to treat transgender and gender nonconforming students in school. It also is part of a wave of legislation in recent years targeting LGBTQ+ youth around the country.

In 2020, the Fairfax district adopted a policy that, among other things, establishes that students can use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Its student conduct handbook also says students could be disciplined for maliciously misgendering or deadnaming — calling someone by the name they no longer use — their peers.

The lawsuit filed this week in Fairfax Circuit Court states that, as a practicing Catholic, the student plaintiff does not believe that a person’s sex can be altered, and the district’s policy is unconstitutional because it forces her to either “violate her sincerely held religious beliefs” or risk getting disciplined for not using a transgender or nonbinary student’s name or pronoun. It further alleges the policy discriminates on the basis of religion by requiring the student to use her school’s single-use bathrooms to “be able to exercise her sincerely held religious beliefs.”.

“Fairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitution’s protections for religious beliefs, speech, and from government discrimination on the basis of sex and religious beliefs,” Ian Prior, a senior adviser with America First Legal, said in a statement. “It is well past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing the constitutional rights of its students so that it can implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, beliefs, and conduct.”.........

MSN

www.msn.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/07/fairfax-transgender-student-policy-lawsuit/

Go to a Catholic school. Enough with these religionists.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Students and teachers will be able to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it’s not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged a state law which critics dubbed “don’t say gay”.

The settlement clarifies what is allowed in Floridaclassrooms following passage two years ago of the law prohibiting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. Opponents said the law had created confusion about whether teachers could identity themselves LGBTQ+ or if they even could have rainbow stickers in classrooms.

Other states used the Florida law as a template to pass prohibitions on classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and North Carolina are among the states with versions of the law.


Under the terms of the settlement, the Florida board of education will send instructions to every school district saying the Florida law does not prohibit discussing LGBTQ+ people, nor prevent anti-bullying rules on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or disallow Gay-Straight Alliance groups. The settlement also spells out that the law is neutral – meaning what applies to LGBTQ+ people also applies to heterosexual people – and that it doesn’t apply to library books not being used for instruction in the classroom.

The law also doesn’t apply to books with incidental references to LGBTQ+ characters or same-sex couples, “as they are not instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity any more than a math problem asking students to add bushels of apples is instruction on apple farming”, according to the settlement.…..

Florida settles lawsuit after challenge to ‘don’t say gay’ law

Students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity under settlement that clarifies what is allowed in schools

www.theguardian.com

 

[SystemShock]

Where is the line?

If a Christine wants to be called Chris is that okay?

My school (hell, every school) had more than a few “tomboys” (is that still the right term?)

Is that okay? Or are we not long until some state says that “all girls must dress like girly girls”

It's t@mperson.

I don't remember any time any teacher, either the U.S. or MX, didn't call me by my legal last name.

 

[LA - L.A.]

Where is the line?

If a Christine wants to be called Chris is that okay?

My school (hell, every school) had more than a few “tomboys” (is that still the right term?)

Is that okay? Or are we not long until some state says that “all girls must dress like girly girls”

I wonder if the people that want to reverse course back to the good ole days of their youth also want to bring back corporal punishment. Boy how a miss the days that a teacher or principle could make you lean on to a desk so that could whack you with a wooden paddle that would make a cricket bat envious.

Man, I'm craving some Pepperidge Farm now.

 

[MT15]

It's t@mperson.

I don't remember any time any teacher, either the U.S. or MX, didn't call me by my legal last name.

May be regional or related to the types of schools, but nobody ever used last names in my experience. Not anywhere that I can remember. At most, if last name was used, it was along with the first name.

 

[bird]

May be regional or related to the types of schools, but nobody ever used last names in my experience. Not anywhere that I can remember. At most, if last name was used, it was along with the first name.

Yeah, basically it was first name, first and last name and sometimes just last name depending upon the teacher.

 

[Optimus Prime]

this could have gone in the book ban thread also
==================================

I recently stumbled upon the viral story of the Moms for Liberty Hamilton County chapter’s newsletter, which quoted Adolf Hitler: “He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.” While the context of this Indiana chapter's apology clarifies the intent of the inclusion (albeit, a little too late), the idea’s premise is flawed.

I graduated from Hamilton Southeastern Schools in 2009. I grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck as background noise in my home.

I took AP government from a teacher with a cardboard cutout of President Ronald Reagan in the front of the classroom. I dedicated myself to the evangelism of others in my school, such as when I preached the Gospel to my AP literature class with the Lifehouse “Everything” YouTube skit during our existential unit. I was the real deal.

Among all these influences, I still graduated as a deeply sad, emotionally damaged queer kid. And if my effort could have changed the course of my life, I would not be the expansive person I am today.

This year, I read Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” the most banned book in the United States, and I cried realizing how much that memoir could have eased my adolescent shame and isolation. After years of feeling uncomfortable with myself, I have been able to heal, and the last thing I want is LGBTQ+ students to have similar experiences as I had growing up.

What does it say to students that some characteristic of identity or family configuration is seen as inherently profane? The damage of adult fragility, religious indoctrination and homophobia persists.

My solace at school was in my English teachers. They did not know I was queer but saw a funny, inquisitive intellectual deviant. I am alive (and successful) today because of their compassion.

We read and discussed things that were uncomfortable, such as the themes of war, desperation, racism and injustice in novels such as “Heart of Darkness,” “Invisible Man,” “Waiting for Godot” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” Despite the claims that these topics are too much or that books in the library are inappropriate – students are not fragile.

By introducing difficult topics in the classroom, my English teachers made me better prepared for the everyday disagreeableness of adulthood. The fundamental changes in my life did not occur because I read a book about sex, racism, gender identity or puberty (God forbid) – it was because I learned to have conversations and sit with my dissonance.

After completing a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree, I still maintain that my AP composition course during my senior year was the most challenging and beneficial course I have ever taken.

When I entered college in 2009, I still retained most of my conservative beliefs until I started meeting others. If you want to mold your children’s beliefs, content is less important than making their worlds so small that they never engage a stranger. Any eventual changes in my political stances had nothing to do with the content of the classroom or library books.

The purpose of education is to tolerate ambiguity. Stop vilifying educators. Students deserve access to credible information, and students who do not have access to high-quality resources will find information on the computers in their pockets instead.

If I can suggest a quote by the immutable Mr. Rogers for your next newsletter: “Knowing we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.”..................

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

When I entered college in 2009, I still retained most of my conservative beliefs until I started meeting others. If you want to mold your children’s beliefs, content is less important than making their worlds so small that they never engage a stranger. Any eventual changes in my political stances had nothing to do with the content of the classroom or library books.

From the article

It is amazing how common this is

"I was raised super conservative, I was racist, homophobic, xenophobic but once I went to college and/or moved to the big city and actually started meeting different people I changed"

Only to be accused of being indoctrinated by liberal colleges going back home

 

[Optimus Prime]

The superintendent of a Texas school district has been suspended after a transgender student was removed — and then later reinstated — from a role in a high school production of "Oklahoma!"

The Sherman Independent School District School Board of Trustees voted Friday to suspend Superintendent Tyson Bennett during a closed session. Meghan Cone, a spokesperson for the district, confirmed Tuesday that the decision was related to an investigation into the trans student's removal from the musical.

Bennett did not immediately return a request for comment.

The student, Max Hightower, a senior at Sherman High School, was removed in November from the lead male role in “Oklahoma!” after his family was notified of a new policy about casting by gender.

“There is no policy on how students are assigned to roles. As it relates to this particular production, the sex of the role as identified in the script will be used when casting,” the district said in a statement on Nov. 6.

On Nov. 10, "after further review," the district revised its original rule, saying "sex will not be considered when casting the new production."

Later that month, the district reversed the restrictions altogether after the school board unanimously voted to reinstate the original script and cast.

“We understand that our decision does not erase the impact this had on our community, but we hope that we will reinforce to everyone, particularly our students, that we do embrace all of our Board goals, to include addressing the diverse needs of our students and empowering them for success in a diverse and complex world,” the board's president, Brad Morgan, said at the time............

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[brandon]

The superintendent of a Texas school district has been suspended after a transgender student was removed — and then later reinstated — from a role in a high school production of "Oklahoma!"

The Sherman Independent School District School Board of Trustees voted Friday to suspend Superintendent Tyson Bennett during a closed session. Meghan Cone, a spokesperson for the district, confirmed Tuesday that the decision was related to an investigation into the trans student's removal from the musical.

Bennett did not immediately return a request for comment.

The student, Max Hightower, a senior at Sherman High School, was removed in November from the lead male role in “Oklahoma!” after his family was notified of a new policy about casting by gender.

“There is no policy on how students are assigned to roles. As it relates to this particular production, the sex of the role as identified in the script will be used when casting,” the district said in a statement on Nov. 6.

On Nov. 10, "after further review," the district revised its original rule, saying "sex will not be considered when casting the new production."

Later that month, the district reversed the restrictions altogether after the school board unanimously voted to reinstate the original script and cast.

“We understand that our decision does not erase the impact this had on our community, but we hope that we will reinforce to everyone, particularly our students, that we do embrace all of our Board goals, to include addressing the diverse needs of our students and empowering them for success in a diverse and complex world,” the board's president, Brad Morgan, said at the time............

MSN

www.msn.com

This is absurd anyway. Everyone who’s been in any sort of theatre situation knows that it’s almost impossible to cast by gender all the time, and people play opposite gender parts all the time. It has nothing to do with identity and everything to do with necessity most of the time.

 

[MT15]

This is absurd anyway. Everyone who’s been in any sort of theatre situation knows that it’s almost impossible to cast by gender all the time, and people play opposite gender parts all the time. It has nothing to do with identity and everything to do with necessity most of the time.

Been doing things that way in the theater for literally hundreds of years.